Kubota Tractor Mod: Adding a Cell Phone Holder

I’ve been wanting to add a cell phone holder to my tractor for a while and a cold day outside gave me the opportunity to get it done!

After looking through the many choices of phone holders on Amazon, I settled on the Leagway Motorcycle Phone Holder. I wanted a motorcycle phone holder because they are designed to securely hold a phone on a fast moving, vibrating motorcycle so I figured one would work well on my slow-moving, vibrating tractor. The features of this particular model are:

It’s made of ABS plastic.
It mounts on a motorcycle’s mirror post, so it has a mounting tab with a hole, which is what I wanted.
It holds a wide range of phones, including Apple iPhones, Samsung Galaxy and Galaxy Note Series, HTC, LG, and others.
It has a secure phone locking system.
A very stiff but flexible gooseneck.
And it’s costs $10.49 on Amazon as of the date of this post.

Note: Links to Amazon products are Amazon Associate links that won’t cost you any extra, but will help support my efforts with a small commission on qualified products. Thanks for your support!

However, depending on your preferences and mounting options on your tractor, you might consider some of the other options available so do some research to find the right one for you.

I considered a few different places to mount the holder and decided to mount it on the corner of my chainsaw and tool holder. That way I don’t have to drill a hole in my tractor’s dashboard.

The first thing I need to do is cut away a piece of the rubber cushioning on the top of the tool holder so the mounting tab can sit flush against the metal.

Then while keeping the phone holder in position, I mark where the hole will be drilled. Then I use my Starret Automatic Center Punch to make a starter divot for drilling.

Now comes the hard part of drilling the hole. It will be hard because my chainsaw and tool holder was made from steel bed rails, which I found out is very hard steel! First, I try a step drill bit but the steel too hard to get the hole started. So I use a series of other bits over about 15 minutes just to get a hole drilled. After some initial drilling I decided I should have used some Tap Magic oil. More drilling with more drill bits. Finally, I get the hole drilled!

Now I need to cut the bolt on the underside shorter to accommodate the screw I’ll use to mount the phone holder. I finish sizing the hole for the screw. Now I can mount the holder using a 5/16″ screw, washer and lock nut. I make sure the phone holder has clearance from my chainsaw and it does. Great!

I place my phone in the holder and press the support arms firmly down around the phone, then tighten the lock wheel. The phone is in a good position for me to use it, whether to listen to music, or listen to podcasts, or even a GPS speedometer and odometer app. I take the phone holder for a ride to make sure it stays in place and keeps a good grip on my phone. It does! Excellent!